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My wife is living here on a green card from Poland. She obtained her Masters in English Theology there and was a teacher for 4 years. She has been in the states for 2 years and is looking to get her NJ state certification.

We took her university transcript to Montclair State, paid the fee, and they said she had a minimum of a BA. I know she must take the Praxis II test, but was wondering what the steps are. All of the documentation seems confusing and when you call the board of Ed. to get answers, you end up getting more questions! Anyone in the know who could provide some info would be great. Thanks!

NJ is rather notorious for making it a difficult process to get your certificate. They make you jump through hoops. However, one thing I learned is that it is best to go directly to the county or state with your transcripts rather than to an individual college because the colleges will sometimes tell you that you need courses that you actually don't or they say something you have will not be accepted when it should be. I know this from my experience.

Your wife will have 2 options. In both cases she will be studying pedagogy.

First is to enter a teacher teacher certification program through a College/university the other is to go the Alternate Route. The former will provide her with the courses required to obtain certification. The latter does the same but in a less formal environment while you are already teaching.

Information on the Alternate Route can be found on most County College websites.

The Alternate Route requires having a job as a teacher and then completing the course work while you are teaching. Many districts do not hire teachers this way. But many do.

Right now, there is a huge pool of applicants for teaching positions. There is a smaller pool in Special Education and Math. There have been a few posts on here about how to get a job as a teacher even if you're already certified.

Here is the state website for Teacher Credentials. It can be complicated, but it does give pretty extensive information.

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